Automatic adjustment of an exposure regulating device in a collapsible camera

ABSTRACT

A collapsible camera having an adjustable exposure regulating device incorporated in its movable shutter assembly is loaded with a film container having coding means representing a characteristic of film therein. When the camera is collapsed, a code sensing element of the shutter assembly is located adjacent to the film container and is influenced by the coding means to adjust the exposure regulating device. Means are provided to require collapsing of the camera whenever the film container is replaced to ensure that the exposure regulating device is adjusted by the coding means of the new film container.

United States Patent Kindig [451 Nov. 7, 1972 [54] AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENTOF AN.

EXPOSURE REGULATING DEVICE IN A COLLAPSIBLE CAMERA [72] Inventor;Guilford Edwin Kindlg, Rochester,

[73] Assignee: Eastman Kodak Rochester, NY.

[22] Filed: Feb. 22, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 227,983

Company,

[52] US. Cl ..95/11 R, 95/3l FS, 95/39, 95/64 R, 352/141 [51] Int. Cl...G03b 17/04, G03b 9/02 [58] Field of Search .....95/ll R, 19, 39, 64 R,31 FS; 352/72, 141

[56] References Cited v UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,537,374 11/197o Jenkins..95/64 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Primary Examiner-Robert P.Greiner Attorney-W. H. J Kline et al.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A collapsible camera having an adjustable exposureregulating device incorporated in its movable shutter assembly is loadedwith a film container having coding means representing a characteristicof film therein. When the camera is collapsed, a code sensing element ofthe shutter assembly is located adjacent to the film container and isinfluenced by the coding means to adjust theexposure regulating device.Means are pro vided to require collapsing of the camera whenever thefilm container is replaced to ensure that the exposure regulating deviceis adjusted by the coding means of the new film container.

8 Claims, ,7 Drawing Figures 4/1967 Great Britain ..9s/31 FS'P'A'TENTEDnur 1 I972 I SHEET 1 [IF 2 PATENTEDN 1 I972 sugar 2 0 2- FIG.5

. a 1 AUTOMATIC ADJUSTMENT or AN EXPOSURE nacurxrmc DEVICE m ACOLLAPSIBLE CAMERA CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APrucATioN Reference ismade to commonly assigned, copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No.94,360, entitled COM- PACT FILM-PACK CAMERA and filed 'Dec. 2, 1970 inthe name of Donald M. Harvey.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present inventionrelates to a collapsible camera and more particularly to means forautomatically adjusting'an exposure control device incorporated in theshutter assembly of sucha camera. 2. Description of thePrior Art Inrecent years, it has becomewell known to provide the film container toproduce a corresponding adjustment of the exposure control system. Ifthe cameras shutter assembly is movable relative to the film containerto permit the camera to be collapsed, the previous practice has been toemploy a flexible connection between the code sensing element mounted inthe body of the camera and-the camera-shutter assembly, order totranslate the position of the sensing element into anappropriateadjustment of the exposure regulat- 4 film container of the ing device,For example, the sensing element ma serve to adjust a resistive devicein the camera body, which is I incorporated in the electrical circuit of[the exposure control system by means of flexible wires leading to theshutter assembly. Alternatively, the sensingelement could adjust theshutter assembly through'a collapsible mechanical linkage. Regardless ofthe type of flexible connection used, however, any such arrangementsignificantly complicates the construction and assembly of the cameraand detracts from its durability, particularly from the film containerand an inoperative or retracted position in close proximity to the filmcontainer. When the camera is in the latter condition, the code sensingelement detects the coding means of the film container to adjusttheexposure regulating device in accordance with one or more co'ded filmcharacteristics. To ensure that the exposureregulating device isadjusted by the coding means of the new film container, means are alsoprovided to require movement of the shutter assembly to its retractedposition whenever the film container is replaced.

- Various means for practicing the invention and other advantages andnovel features thereof will be apparent from thedetailed description ofthe preferred embodiment presented below. i

BRIEF DESCRIPTION "OF THE DRAWINGS In the detailed descriptionofthepreferred embodiment of the invention presented below, reference is madeto theaccompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals denote likeelements and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible self-' processing cameraprovided with an exposure control adjusting mechanism according to thepreferred embodiment of the invention, showing the camera in itsretractedor collapsed condition, I

FIG. 2 corresponds to FIG. l but shows the camera in its extended oroperative condition;

.'FIG.' 3 is a perspective back view of the camera showhinFIGSJandZ; c

FIG. 4 is aperspective view of a coded film pack or type used in thecamera shown in FIG. Sis an enlarged-fragmentary view'depicting thecoding means embodied inthe film container; V

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective viewshowingthe cooperation of thebasic -corripjonents j of the-exposure regulating device with the codingmeans of the film container when thacanie'ra is i in its retracted, orcol-. lapsed condition; and f I 1 v FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspectiveview of the code I sensing element shown in FIG.6.'

in the case of a self-processing camera in which the relatively largefilm format dictates a correspondingly large movement of the shutterassembly between its extended and retracted positions.

SUMMARY or THE INVENTION The principal objectof the presentinvention isto simplify andimprove the means by which an exposure regulating devicein, a collapsible camera is adjusted au- EMBODIMENT Becausephotographiccameras and'filin iinits or the type to which "thepresentinvention relates are well known, the following description is directedin particular to elements formingipart of, or cooperatingrnore directlywi'thfthe present invention. Camera and film elements not specificallyshown or described herein are selectable from those known in theart. U c

The collapsible camera depicted in the accompanying drawings asillustrative of the preferred embodimentor the invention isof theself-processing type and comprises a box-like housing 10 having aforwardly facing opening 12 provided with-a lens support door 14. Thelens support door is attached tothc housing by a hinge pin 16 so that itis movable between the retracted or closed position shown in FIGS. 1, 3,and 6 and the extended or operative position shown in FIG. 2. The camerashutter assembly, comprised of lens 18 and other-internal elementsdescribed below, is carried by the sloped end portion 2t) of door 14opposite to hinge pin16. When the lens support door is in its retractedDESCRIPTION oFfTHEi RErERREi 1 position shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6,itprotrudes only slightly beyond the front wall 22 of housing 10. Ac-

cordingly, the camera canrbe carried conveniently in 1 A light-tightjoint is established between the hingedend of the lens support door andthe camera housing by a sealing flap 24, shown in FIG. 6. The remainingthree edges of the door are connected to the camera housing by alight-tight, accordian-pleated bellows 26 that is located within housingopening 12 when door 14 is closed or retracted. A jointed strut 28,shown in FIG. 2, extends between door 14 and the camera housing and isalso enclosed within the housing when the door is closed. A togglespring, not shown, resiliently holds the strut in either its extendedcondition or its folded condition. To open the door, the photographerpulls it forwardlyaga'inst the resistance of the toggle spring by meansof the finger grip lip 30 adjacent to the camera lens. ln its fullyextended condition, the strut locates the lens support door at apredetermined open position in which the lens is in fixed parallelrelation tothe camera housing. Tocollapse the camera, the photographermanually moves the lens support door rearwardly in opposition to thetoggle spring, which then resiliently holds the door inits closedposition. These features of the camera are disclosed in detail in theabove-referenced commonly assigned, 'copending U.S. Pat. applicationSer. No. 94,360, entitled COMPACT FILM-PACK CAMERA and filed Dec. 2,1970 in the name of Donald M. I-Iarvey.

The camera is adapted to be loaded with a film container or film pack 32of the type illustrated in FIGS. 4-6, which is well known in thephotographic 'art. Briefly, the film pack comprises a box-like casing 34provided with a front exposure opening or window 36. A plurality ofself-processing film units, not shown, are initially stacked inside thecasing behind an opaque masking strip 38 that covers'opening 36 andextends out of the casing through an appropriate slot in one of its endwalls. The film units are provided with respective leader strips and areconnected to each other and to the masking strip in such a way' that thewithdrawal of the maskingstrip pulls the leader strip of the firstavailable film unit to an accessible position and the withdrawal of eachsuccessive film unit similarly brings the leader strip of the next filmunit to that same position. Accordingly, the photosensitive exposuresurface of each successive film unit is in turn located behind thewindow 36 so that all of the available film units can be exposed andprocessed in sequence. 5

For illustrative purposes, it is assumed that the film pack is adaptedto contain film having one of two predetermined sensitivities, e.'g.,black-and-white film with an ASA speed rating of 3,000 or color filmwith an ASA speed rating of 300. The sensitivity of the film in the filmpack is indicated by coding means, best shown in FIG. 5, comprising acoding tab or ear 40 bent forwardly from the front wall member of thefilm pack casing. If the film pack is loaded with color film, the codingcar 40 is positioned as shown in FIGS. 4-6, but if the film packcontains the much faster black-andwhite film, the coding ear or tab islocated at a different position designated by the numeral 40' and shownin broken lines in FIG. 5.

A loading door 42, best shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, is pivotably supportedby the back wall 44 of the camera casing by a hinge pin 46 and isadapted to be latched in its closed position by a latching mechanismbest depicted in FIG. 6. The latching mechanism includes a latch member48 comprising a pair of elongate arms extending along the inner surfacesof the upper and lower walls of the camera housing, one of such armsbeing illustrated at numeral 50in FIG. 6. Each of the two arms 50 issupported for longitudinal sliding movement by a stationary pin 52extending through an elongate slot 54, and the two arms are connected bya cross bar 56. The cross bar, in turn, is connected by a rivet 58 to anexternally accessible slidable latch release member 60 that projectsthrough a slot 62 in the rear wall of the camera housing. 7 A coilspring 64 is compressed between the end wall 66 of the camera housingand an ear 68 on cross bar 56 to urge the latch member toward theposition shown in FIG. 6. In this position, latch member teeth 70 at theends of arms 50 engage corresponding latching pins 72 carried by thecover door to hold the latter in its closed position. By sliding latchrelease member 60 toward the adjacent end of the camera housing inopposition to spring 64, the photographer can disengage the latch memberteeth 70 from the corresponding pins 72, thereby allowing the door to bemoved to its open position so that the film pack can a be installed inthe camera. 'After the film pack has been loaded into the camera, theclosed loading door urges it against appropriate locating means definedby the camera housing, which accurately locate the film pack so that theemulsion surface of the film unit to be exposed is positioned incoincidence. with a focalplane of the extended camera lens. .Asdescribed in greater detail in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. applicationSer. No. 94,360, the loaded film pack is partially surrounded by thecollapsed bellows 26 and extends partially into the rearwardly facingcavity 74 of the lens support door 14.

- With the film pack positioned in the camera as described above, theleader endof the opaque masking strip extends through an exit slot 76inthe camera housing provided between the adjacent confronting edges ofthe housing and the loading door. As shown at numeral 78, resilientflaps are provided'along the edges of slot 76 to prevent light fromentering the camera housing. Inside the closed housing, the maskingstrip passes between a forward pressure roller 80 rotatablymounted onthe housing and an opposing rearward pressure roller 82 rotatablymounted on the loading door. By pulling on the externally accessible endof the masking strip, the photographer can remove that strip from thecamera and therebybring the leader strip of the first available filmunit to the same accessible position. After each film unit has beenexposed, it is withdrawn by means of its accessible leader strip and isthereby pulled between the opposed pressure rollers, which rupture aprocessing fluid container incorporated in the film unit and distributethe fluid over the exposed photosensitive sheet surface in a manner wellknown in the self-processing camera art.

FIG. 6 best illustrates the shutter assembly of the camera and itscode-responsive exposure regulating device, to which the invention isparticularly directed. This assembly is carried entirely by the lenssupport door and includes lens 18, a conventional shutter smalleraperture 92. Plate 86 is supported for sliding movement by grooves 94 inthe sloped forward portion of the cover door so that it can be movedbetween its illustrated position, in which the large aperture 90 isaligned with the lens to provide proper exposure of the slower colorfilm, and an alternate position, in which the smaller aperture 92 isaligned with the lens to ex pose properly the faster black-and-whitefilm.

The position of the aperture plate is established by code-sensingelement 96, best shown in FIG. 7, which comprises a bent piece of stiffwire pivotably supported by a bracket 98- attached to the camera door 14by rivets 100.'One end of the sensing element is bent to provide a crankarm 102 that extendsthrough a slot 104 inthe aperture plate, and theopposite end of the sensing element is bent to provide a cross bar 106.If doorl4is closed when the camera is loaded with a film pack containingcolor film, the forwardly facing edge surface 108 of coding ear 40 onthe film pack engages the folded end 110 of the code-sensing-elementcross bar 106 and pivots the sensing element in a clockwise direction,as viewed in FIG. 6, thereby positioning the larger aperture 90 inalignment with lens 18. If the film pack contains black-and-white film,however, the forward edge surface 108 of the corresponding coding ear40', shown in broken lines in FIG. 5, engages the opposite end 112 ofthe code-sensing-element cross bar 106 and pivots the sensing element ina counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 6, so as to shift theaperture plate to the right and thereby align the smaller. aperture 92with lens 18. The aperture plate slides relatively easily between itstwo alternate positions but has sufficient frictional resistance to suchmovement to retain it in either position when door 14 is subsequentlyopened to its operative position. Ac cordingly, it will be apparent thatthe lens aperture is set automatically in accordance with. thesensitivity of the film loaded into the camera.

To ensure that the exposure regulating device is adjusted to thesensitivity of new film whenever an old film pack is replaced, a lockinglever 114 is pivotably supported on the camera housing by a pin 116 andincludes a locking tooth 118 that is biased toward engagement with latchmember ear 68 by a relatively weak hairpin spring 120. When the lenssupport door is closed, as shown in FIG. 6, edge surface 122 of theforward portion of the'door adjacent to lens 18 engages tip 124 of thelocking lever and holds that lever beyond engagement with latch memberear 68. When door 14 is open, however, the locking tooth 118 is engagedwith ear 68 of the latch member and therefore prevents the latch memberfrom being moved to the position at which it releases loading door 42.Accordingly, it will be seen that the loading door can be opened onlywhen the lens support door is closed, thus ensuring that the exposureregulating device will be adjusted properly in accordance with thecoding means on the new film pack installed in the camera. a

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention depicts a relativelysimple mechanism for adjusting the lens aperture, it should be apparentthat similar means could also be employed for effecting automaticadjustment of the shutter speed or of an exposure control system thatregulates either the lcnsapertu'reor the shutter speed or both as afunction of available light. Such adevice couldalso be employed toadjust other elements of a shutter assembly, such as by moving anappropriate filter into and out of alignment with the lens. Also, itshould be apparent that the invention is not limited merely todistinguishing between two different speeds or types of film but canreadily be adapted to adjust an exposure regulating device bycooperating with coding means capableof identifying a larger number ofdifferent film speeds or other film characteristics. Furthermore, thesensing element need not be physically displaced or positioned by thecoding means on the film container but could comprise any type of devicecapable of being influenced by such coding means when brought into closeproximity thereto, such as, for example, by electrical contact, magneticinfluence, or optical influence. Similarly, the coding means need notnecessarily be defined by the film container casing but could beprovided by the masking sheet or some other element of the film pack.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference tothe preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood thatvariations and modifica tions can be effected within the spirit andscope of the invention. I

What is claimed is: I v

1. A camera adapted to receive a film container provided with physicallydetectable coding structure representing an exposure determinativecharacteristic of film in the container, said camera comprising:

a. exposure control means including a code sensing element movable toa'plu'rality of positions to effect corresponding adjustments of saidexposure control means; and

b. support means supporting said exposure control means for movementbetween l. a first location, at which said code sensing element isseparated from the coding structure of the container, and

2. a second location, at which said code sensing element is engaged withand positioned by the coding structure of the container in accordancewith the exposure determinative characteristic of the film in thecontainer to effect corresponding adjustment of said exposure controlmeans.

2. A camera as claimed in claim 1 further comprising i interlockingmeans requiring movement of said exposure control means to said secondlocation before the film container can be received by said camera.

3. A camera adapted to receive a film container provided with code meansrepresenting an exposure determinative film characteristic of film inthe container, said cameracomprising:

a. exposure regulating means for regulating exposure of the film, saidexposure regulating means being adjustable to regulate the exposure inaccordance with the film characteristic;

b. movable means supporting said exposure regulating means for movementbetween 1. a first position close to the film container and 2. a secondposition remote from the film container; v c. a code' sensing elementmovable with said exposure regulating means between 1. an operativeposition wherein said element is adjacent to the code means to beinfluenced thereby in accordance with the film characteristic when saidexposure regulating means is in said first position and 2. aninoperative position wherein said element is remote from the code meanswhen said exposure regulating means is in said second position; and

d. adjusting means interconnecting said element and said exposureregulating means for translating any influence of the code means on saidelement into a corresponding adjustment of said exposure regulatingmeans.

4. A camera as claimed in claim 3 wherein said code sensing element isengageable with and positionable by the code means when said exposureregulating means is in said first position to effect the correspondingadjustment of said exposure regulating means.

5. A camera as claimed in claim 3 further comprising means defining anaperture for admitting light to the film to effect the exposure thereof,and wherein said exposure regulating means includes means for varyingsaid aperture defining means.

6. A camera as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a housing, andwherein said movable means includes a door hingedly mounted on 'idhousing and movably supporting said exposure regulating means and saidbetween a closed position for enclosing the container within saidhousing and an open position for allowing movement of the container intoand out of said housing, and latching means for releasably latching saidloading door in said closed position, said latching means beingreleasable to permit movement of said loading door to said openposition; wherein said movable means includes a frontal door mounted onsaid housing for movement between a retracted position wherein said codesensing element is in said operative position and an extended positionwherein said element is in said inoperative position; and still furthercomprising interlocking means for interlocking said latching means andsaid frontal door to require movement of said frontal door to saidretracted position before said latching means can be released to permitmovement of said loading door from said closed position to said openposition. i 1

1. A camera adapted to receive a film container provided with physicallydetectable coding structure representing an exposure determinativecharacteristic of film in the container, said camera comprising: a.exposure control means including a code sensing element movable to aplurality of positions to effect corresponding adjustments of saidexposure control means; and b. support means supporting said exposurecontrol means for movement between
 1. a first location, at which saidcode sensing element is separated from the coding structure of thecontainer, and
 2. a second location, at which said code sensing elementis engaged with and positioned by the coding structure of the containerin accordance with the exposure determinative characteristic of the filmin the container to effect corresponding adjustment of said exposurecontrol means.
 2. a second location, at which said code sensing elementis engaged with and positioned by the coding structure of the containerin accordance with the exposure determinative characteristic of the filmin the container to effect corresponding adjustment of said exposurecontrol means.
 2. A camera as claimed in claim 1 further comprisinginterlocking means requiring movement of said exposure control means tosaid second location before the film container can be received by saidcamera.
 2. a second position remote from the film container; c. a codesensing element movable with said exposure regulating means between 2.an inoperative position wherein said element is remote from the codemeans when said exposure regulating means is in said second position;and d. adjusting means interconnecting said element and said exposureregulating means for translating any influence of the code means on saidelement into a corresponding adjustment of said exposure regulatingmeans.
 3. A camera adapted to receive a film container provided withcode means representing an exposure determinative film characteristic offilm in the container, said camera comprising: a. exposure regulatingmeans for regulating exposure of the film, said exposure regulatingmeans being adjustable to regulate the exposure in accordance with thefilm characteristic; b. movable means supporting said exposureregulating means for movement between
 4. A camera as claimed in claim 3wherein said code sensing element is engageable with and positionable bythe code means when said exposure regulating means is in said firstposition to effect the corresponding adjustment of said exposureregulating means.
 5. A camera as claimed in claim 3 further comprisingmeans defining an aperture for admitting light to the film to effect theexposure thereof, and wherein said exposure regulating means includesmeans for varying said aperture defining means.
 6. A camera as claimedin claim 3 further comprising a housing, and wherein said movable meansincludes a door hingedly mounted on said housing and movably supportingsaid exposure regulating means and said code sensing element.
 7. Acamera as claimed in claim 3 further comprising interlocking meansrequiring movement of said code sensing element to said operativeposition before the film container can be received by said camera.
 8. Acamera as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a box-like housing forreceiving the film container, a loading door mounted on said housing formovement between a closed position for enclosing the container withinsaid housing and an open position for allowing movement of the containerinto and out of said housing, and latching means for releasably latchingsaid loading door in said closed position, said latching means beingreleasable to permit movement of said loading door to said openposition; wherein said movable means includes a frontal door mounted onsaid housing for movement between a retracted position wherein said codesensing element is in said operative position and an extended positionwherein said element is in said inoperative position; and still furthercomprising interlocking means for interlocking said latching means andsaid frontal door to require movement of said frontal door to saidretracted position before said latching means can be released to permitmovement of said loading door from said closed position to said openposition.